Focusing on Social Networking for the 2013 IBM PartnerWorld Leadership Conference

With the 2013 IBM PartnerWorld Leadership Conference less than a week away, I wanted to take a moment from busy last-minute planning to let you know how excited I am about the event. My staff and I have worked tirelessly to present you with a world-class conference, and I’m very much looking forward to meeting you in person!

Giving credit where credit is due

For an event of this magnitude—and with guest speakers such as famed author Ben Mezrich and Obama cabinet member Karen G. Mills—it’s important to stop and acknowledge the major role played by our 2013 sponsors. That’s why I wanted to thank Avnet for sponsoring Wednesday evening’s epic entertainment, featuring modern-rock sensation Train, and Ingram Micro for its sponsorship of Tuesday’s breakfast. Their assistance has made it possible for us to bring you the kind of conference we wanted to present—one worthy of the scale of our investment in your success as an IBM Business Partner.

Giving back to the community

Another thing we take seriously at IBM is our role as a corporate citizen and using that position to give back to the community in a meaningful way. Apropos of the conference’s Las Vegas location, IBM has partnered with Three Square Food Bank of Las Vegas to pack 2,000 bags for the “BackPack for Kids” program. The “BackPack for Kids” program is one of several under Childhood Nutrition programs run by Three Square, and more than 55 percent of all Clark County School District students are participating in the “free and reduced-price meals” program. For additional information, visit http://www.threesquare.org or follow them on Twitter @threesquarelv.

This kind of community service is not new to IBM. President Obama recently mentioned our P-TECH contributions during his State of the Union address—P-TECH is an innovative partnership that addresses a critical skills gap in the knowledge-based economy. Enhancing IBM staff’s support of their communities worldwide is the stuff that matters beyond our conference and why we do what we do—it’s all about making the world a better place and a smarter planet.

Last-minute conference registration

The response for registration has been overwhelming, and we’ve been almost completely sold out for weeks now. If you haven’t registered yet, we should still be able to accommodate you—but don’t wait another minute to take advantage of the limited number of spaces left. To find out more about our session schedules and registration details, visit the 2013 PartnerWorld Leadership Conference website—and I look forward to meeting you in Las Vegas!

Follow the team on Twitter

To help you stay connected with me and my staff during the show, I’ve listed the Twitter handles below for members of the PartnerWorld team. Follow us during the conference for important updates, as we will be actively sharing information.